Carbon

MISHAWAKA -- There are 40 new maple trees in Mishawaka parks that you could say are socially conscious. They were planted Friday on Arbor Day by University of Notre Dame students who used their spring breaks to travel somewhere in the country to study social issues. That was through the university's Center for Social Concerns. And Cynthia Toms Smedley, director of educational immersions, said they've been thinking about ways to offset the amount of carbon produced by their travels in cars, airplanes and other forms of transportation.

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) -- The nation's first cap-and-trade greenhouse gas auction raised nearly $40 million that will be spent by Northeast states on renewable and energy efficient technologies. Under the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, or RGGI, all fossil fuel-burning power plants in a 10-state region are required to buy credits to cover the carbon they emit. The results of the first of a series of quarterly auctions were released Monday. The initiative is viewed as a possible model for a national program to reduce emissions of carbon dioxide, a gas blamed for global warming.

Scientists have developed a new way to create computed tomography (CT) images using carbon nanotube X-rays that may work much faster than traditional scanners. The work, done at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, is a step toward developing scanners for medical imaging and homeland security that are smaller, faster and less expensive to operate, the scientists say. "The current CT scanners take images sequentially, which is slow and inefficient," said Dr. Otto Zhou, professor of materials science.

TRAVEL BRIEFS TRIBUNE WIRE SERVICES Gary Fisher to visit area May 30 MISHAWAKA -- Gary Fisher, the California man credited with developing the first mountain bike, will come to speak and ride May 30 with local cycling enthusiasts. After racing off-road bikes, Fisher created that first mountain bike in 1974. Today he continues to be chief designer of the bicycle company that bears his name. There will be a "meet and greet" event with Fisher from 10 a.m. to noon May 30 at Outpost Sports, 3602 N. Grape Road.

SOUTH BEND -- Jason Mitchell and the former Trisha Heckman are making their home in South Bend. St. Matthew Cathedral was the setting for their 2:30 p.m. Aug. 25 wedding. The bride is the daughter of Teri Heckman of Niles and the late Ed Buczek, who was of South Bend. The groom's parents are Jodi and Dennis Mitchell of South Bend. The bride graduated from LaVille Junior-Senior High School and attended Ivy Tech Community College of Indiana. The groom graduated from Marian High School, Mishawaka, and attended Ancilla College, Plymouth.

INDIANAPOLIS -- Andy Ording wouldn't reveal exactly what was inside the unmarked cardboard boxes stacked in his Indianapolis factory. He says only they were "special goodies" to be shipped to the CSC professional cycling team to use in this year's Tour de France. When pressed a little more, he conceded that the boxes contained prototypes of carbon-fiber bicycle wheels made by his company, Zipp Speed Weaponry. But that's all he's saying. $1,700 a pair Zipp has used a mix of savvy marketing and cutting-edge technology to propel itself to become one of cycling's in-vogue brands.

excitement level with a scoreboard with a video board, a better sound system (it will work)." He wants the players' quarters nice, but nothing like a country club. Won't catch an Irish hockey player getting soft or spoiled. "It's about our locker room, training area; to where we won't have to work out at 5 o'clock in the morning to get into (the primary athletic weight room)," Jackson said. "We can work out at a more reasonable hour in the mornings, then be able to practice at our convenience in the afternoon and not have to smell carbon monoxide in the (Joyce Center)

They're made out of Liquid Metal, Chromium and Scandium. They contain nanotubes of carbon fiber and three-compartment air chambers. They have names like Exogrid, Plasma, Stealth and Dynasty. These aren't your daddy's baseball bats, junior. "Time moves on and so does technology," said Rick Redman, the vice president of corporate communications for Louisville Slugger. "Our product development team is always looking for ways to do different things, to make new materials that are stronger and last longer.

Derek Smith held up about seven pieces of paper he had found in his hotel room ---- from the breakfast menu to the traditional welcoming note from staff. He asked where the paper came from. Over the next hour, he spent much of his time during his presentation as the keynote speaker on "The Business of Going Green" letting people know exactly why it is important to know that answer. Smith speaks and consults around the country on the need to accept the responsibility of environmental protection on a personal, corporate and social basis.

SOUTH BEND Accomplishments and news clippings of past participants in Adams High School's science research class dot the bulletin boards around Nevin Longenecker's classroom. And achieving wall status is an honor not lost on this year's latest honorees. Joseph O'Rourke, Michael Smyth, Beatrice Zovich and Adam Rector were all chosen as finalists in the Indiana Science Talent Search contest. This year, 14 students statewide were chosen, including the Adams foursome and five from Marian High School.

SOUTH BEND -- The 2013 Class of Michiana Forty under 40 has been announced. The honor recognizes 40 outstanding local professionals under age 40 for their business success and community contributions. A luncheon recognizing the individuals will be held from noon to 1:30 p.m. May 31, at the Gillespie Conference Center, 53995 Indiana 933 in South Bend. Cost to attend is $35 per person or $275 for a table of eight. To register, go to sjchamber.org/events or call Cara Grabowski at 574-400-4032 for more information.

SOUTH BEND -- It is an ideal partnership for South Bend-based New Carbon Co., which makes and sells Carbon's Golden Malted Pancake & Waffle flour. It all started with an April Fools' joke that flavored syrup company, Torani in San Francisco, played on its customers this year. It announced a new (made-up) syrup flavor, Chicken 'N Waffles. The social media response was tremendous. So, Torani decided to make the syrup for real. That's when New Carbon, headquartered at 4101 William Richardson Drive, got involved.

The race to represent District I on the St. Joseph County Council pits incumbent Republican Mark Root, a Bethel College librarian, against Democrat Joe Carbone, a retired AT&T worker and former union member and representative. Root, for his part, said he would work to encourage further economic development in the county if re-elected, "realizing that government doesn't create jobs, but it creates the environment in which businesses can grow and thrive. " He said he sees a need to create a "regional clearinghouse for economic development" in the county in the absence of Project Future, which folded last year.

PITTSBURGH (AP) -- In a surprising turnaround, the amount of carbon dioxide being released into the atmosphere in the U.S. has fallen dramatically to its lowest level in 20 years, and government officials say the biggest reason is that cheap and plentiful natural gas has led many power plant operators to switch from dirtier-burning coal. Many of the world's leading climate scientists didn't see the drop coming, in large part because it happened as a result of market forces rather than direct government action against carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas that traps heat in the atmosphere.

WASHINGTON -- Emissions of heat-trapping carbon dioxide reached an all-time high last year, further reducing the chances that the world could avoid a dangerous rise in global average temperature by 2020, according to the International Energy Agency, the energy analysis group for the world's most industrialized states. Global emissions of carbon-dioxide, or CO2, from fossil-fuel combustion hit a record high of 31.6 gigatonnes in 2011, according to the IEA's preliminary estimates, an increase of 1 Gt, or 3.2 percent from 2010.

Headlines and news releases can sometimes be true, albeit deceptive. Witness the Friday Tribune article declaring that PNC had purchased New Carbon Co. in South Bend. Though technically true, such headlines and stories might suggest to some that another one of our local businesses has been purchased by an outside firm and will eventually go away. We have some reason to be a bit paranoid. After all, we have lost some substantial businesses that blossomed and grew here only to be eventually snuffed out years after an acquisition by another firm.

SOUTH BEND -- PNC Riverarch Capital has taken a controlling interest in New Carbon Co., a locally based company that provides waffle and pancake mixes to restaurants, hotels, colleges and food-service establishments across the country. The deal, which was announced Thursday, includes investments by PNC Riverarch Capital, PPM America Capital Partners and the New Carbon management team. Founded in 1937, New Carbon provides its Golden Malted brand waffle mix, along with waffle irons and related maintenance, to more than 40,000 customer locations throughout North America.

Everybody in the South Bend area is concerned about attracting new businesses and more good jobs. We shouldn't let that, however, overshadow our appreciation for the good employers who are here, many of whom have been hard at work in our communities for years and years. New Carbon Co. and its CEO Rick McKeel are standout examples. McKeel was recently named Indiana Small Business Person of the Year. In 2010, the company was honored as Indiana Small Business of the Year. McKeel, who began working in sales for the company which sells malted waffle mix and commercial waffle irons, has been its president and CEO since 2002.

The honors keep piling up for South Bend-based New Carbon Co. First the company was honored in 2010 as Indiana Small Business of the Year, and now its President and CEO Rick McKeel has been named Indiana Small Business Person of the year. "I was humbled," McKeel said about receiving the award. "But I think it is a great honor and tribute to our staff. No one person can do what we have done that has made this company successful." Though McKeel gives a lot of credit to the New Carbon team, many say his work with employees is the reason he deserved the recognition.